Chapter 1
It was common knowledge that all the girls in my lodge had a crush on Kenechi. He was so hot and looked like God took his time to make him on a Sunday morning. He was about six feet, five inches tall, with the body of a model. His dark chocolate skin was smooth and shiny, and he had light brown, mesmerizing eyes that could get a girl lost in those depths. His face...oh, his face was like an angel, and not that I have seen an angel, but we all believe that angels are drop-dead gorgeous. His nose was straight and not too pointed or flat either, his chin was covered with a light beard, and he made his hair into cornrows.
Kene as we called him was not unaware of how handsome he is, and he used it to his advantage. He changed girlfriends as one would change a baby's diapers and bore the arrogance of a man who felt his beauty could get him anything which was what riled me the most about him. Yes, I just described Kene to be 'drop-dead gorgeous' and that all the girls in my lodge fancied themselves in love with him and I would say, I wasn't immune to his charms but his arrogance and change of girlfriends made me cautious of him.
I would like to say I am a feminist, and I despise men who feel like they own the world and women are objects to be used and discarded. I feel that women should be allowed to voice out their ideas, thoughts, and feelings and we should be given equal rights as men and so upon seeing how Kene treated women, I felt angry and I never talked about how handsome and hot Kene is.
It was the last Saturday of the month, and as was usual, the occupants in the lodge held general sanitation where everywhere was cleaned in the lodge. I had done my share of the sanitation, and I was on my way outside to dispose of the trash. Some guys including Kene were outside, talking out loud. I hesitated as I had always hated passing or going through a place where there were lots of guys. Yes, I had an aversion to the male gender, especially males like Kene who were so hot yet arrogant.
I cautiously made my way through the gathering of young men, gingerly stepping as if the ground would break under my feet. Suddenly, everywhere was silent and all eyes were on me. I heard a low whistling as one of the guys said, "Oh boy, look at that nyansh- ass."I get that a lot; men and some boys ogling my ass and long legs as I was blessed having a round and full ass, with well-proportioned hips and long legs. Although I should have gotten used to this, I wasn't and was always all nervous when men made comments like this.
My legs felt like noodles and they shook, unable to support my weight any longer. I couldn't wait to dispose of the dirt and run away to hide in the sanctuary of my room. Suddenly, I tripped, falling facedown with the trash falling off my hands. A million thoughts ran through my mind as I fell, one of them was how I was going to lock myself in my room that day, nursing my embarrassment with a packet of very sugary biscuits. I expected to feel the floor on my face but instead was caught by a pair of strong arms. I felt a tremor pass through me, and there was an excited fluttering low in my belly. I was helped to my feet by my savior, but when I looked up I found out it was Kene!
Could my day have gotten any worse; of all the young men out there to catch me from falling on the floor, it had to be Kene who had caught me. I was grateful for my caramel skin color as it could not show how embarrassed I was and I was shocked to realize I miss his touch, and that I would rather go back to the warmth of his muscular arms. I mentally scolded myself.
"Are you okay?" Kene asked.
"Yes," I murmured, bending to pick up the trash which was littered on the ground.
"Ndo- sorry," some guys said. One of them took the trash from my hands. "Let me help you dispose of it," he said.
"Thank you," I said moving away from there. I walked so fast, trying not to run to keep what last shred is left of my dignity. I made it to my room and lay on my bed wishing I could just lay there forever.
It was a week later that I met Kene again, I was on my way to school for a lecture and I was in a hurry as I was late. As I rushed down the stairs doing a crosscheck in my bag to make sure I had all the notes I would be needing that day, I bumped into someone and my phone which I held in my hand fell on the floor.
"Oh God!" I exclaimed. "What is the meaning of this? Can't you see where you are going?" I asked the person as I bent to pick up my phone.
"You were the one who bumped into me," a deep male voice said. I looked up and saw that it was Kene and my anger at being bumped into intensified.
"Seriously," I said. "Instead of you apologizing, you are blaming me for your mistake." Kene opened his mouth to say something but I shut him up. "I don't have time for this," I said as I rushed away.
That day did not get any better as I wasn't allowed inside the lecture hall by the lecturer since I was late. After the lecture, I tried to collect the soft copies of some textbooks, and I found out that my phone had broken and refused to switch on. I was frustrated and angry and my misfortune did not end there, heavy rain started to fall, just as soon as I had alighted the public bus after arriving at my destination and walked some distance. I was soaked to the bone and cold, my bag was wet and I was sure my books inside were in the same state.
'Well, there is no need to look for a shelter to stay in until the rain stops, I might just as well walk the remain distance home instead of waiting while I catch my death of cold,' I thought. I walked quietly as the sky poured buckets of rain on me. I couldn't wait to get home, have a hot bath, wear warm clothes and eat a steaming bowl of noodles with lots of pepper. Suddenly, a car drove past me splashing dirty water on me and my frustration intensified. I felt like screaming but continued walking.
At home I had a hot bath, wore some warm clothes and sat down on my bed with a bowl of hot noodles. The rain had reduced to a drizzle but the cold remained. As I ate, I thought of my phone and the cost of repairing it or getting a new one. As if I did not have enough expenses. In fact, why should I repair the phone myself when I am not the one who broke it, it was Kene. He is a rich boy any way, so he should give me the money to fix the phone. I nodded my head and smiled evilly as I made a resolve to give the broken phone to Kene to repair.
